The present invention relates to manually operable, portable, hydraulically powered, flaring hand tools.
Conventional fittings, adapters or couplers have been used for connecting malleable cylindrical conduit to a tube, a hose, a fitting or another conduit. One of the methods of connection involves flaring the tube. There are many approaches to flaring a tube that relate to plastically deforming the end of the tube or end region. Conventional flaring apparatus, wherein a flaring cone is urged into the distal end of the tube, are illustrated by U.S. Pat. No. 4,068,515 issued to Kowal, et al. on Jan. 17, 1978 entitled Flaring Tool and U.S. Pat. No. 4,779,441 issued to Pringle on Oct. 25, 1988 entitled Tube Having A Flared End. In general, these and similar patents are related to an apparatus for forming a flare of different shapes and forms on an end of a hollow malleable cylindrical conduit. The shape of the flared end is contoured accurately to conform to the seating surface of the fitting to which the flared tube is to be connected.
In many other applications, such as connecting a conduit to another conduit of the same diameter, it is desirable to have a radially outward expansion on the end of the tube. When soldered or brazed, this type of connection will seal the fluid inside the tube.
Therefore, there is a need to provide a portable hand tool that creates a controlled expansion in end section of a tube.
The movement of an expander by actuation of a manual hydraulic pump in a hydraulically powered flaring hand tool contacts die elements so as to move the die elements radially outward to flare hollow malleable cylindrical tubing. The tool has a manual hydraulic pump for producing movement of a shaft, an adjuster member coupled to the manual hydraulic pump, permitting the shaft to slide through the adjuster member, an expander coupled to the shaft end, and a die set having a plurality of die elements, the die set is coupled to the adjuster member.